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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23042896">Someone To Stay</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/parallelcurtains/pseuds/parallelcurtains'>parallelcurtains</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SKAM (Norway)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Coming Out, Evak AU, First Love, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Underage Drinking, or the one where even is the eskild of the story, pan guru even</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:41:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,202</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23042896</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/parallelcurtains/pseuds/parallelcurtains</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Isak is turning 17 soon; he's also lost, closeted, confused and has a little crush on his best friend. The problems at home are not helping his situation at all. When he gets drunk in a gay bar one night, Even saves him from being molested by a stranger. From there, Even becomes Isak's go-to-person when everything gets too much.</p><p>***<br/>Or the AU where Even comes into Isak's life as Eskild did, taking on the role of pan guru.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Gay bar</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, hello, I'm back... and it's with a multi-chapter fic.<br/>I don't know yet how many chapters it will have, I have barely started - but as usual, I'm just too anxious to share and am needy for some feedback. I can't help myself... sorry.<br/>Might be that I'll take a while with updates because I'm as much a slow writer as I am a slow reader, gnnshfls. Imma let you starve and you will hate me, is what I'm saying. Ha.<br/>Anyhoooow... thank you to my lovely, lovely <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggsntoast">Kris</a> for erasing my dumb non-native speaker mistakes. You the best. &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>You were alone</em> <em><br/>
Left out in the cold<br/>
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home<br/>
Too lost and hurting to carry your load<br/>
We all need someone to hold</em></p>
<p><em>(</em> <em>Vancouver Sleep Clinic</em> <em>)</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The bar was overwhelmingly crowded, even for a Friday night, and if Even hadn't agreed to meet his friends here, he would turn back and leave immediately. He hated it when the bar was over-crowded and loud; it left no room for conversation whatsoever. After a quick stop at the bar to get himself a beer, he continued navigating through people to find the boys.</p>
<p>Accidently, his gaze landed on a table to his left where he saw a young guy being talked up by that perv, Mads. Even usually wouldn't intervene in these kinds of things, because who knew what the other dude was like, maybe he was just the right fit for an idiot like Mads?! The thing was just that, upon a second glance, Even realized the other guy was a) pretty wasted, and, b) way too young to even be in a bar, much less to be dragged home by some 20-something jerk who was looking for easy prey.</p>
<p>Even looked over to the far corner from where the boys were waving at him, beckoning him over, and then back to the boy with the blonde angelic curls almost falling off of his chair, clinging on to Mads in the process. With a heavy sigh, Even resigned and walked over to the boy being molested. Someone had to save him from Mads and apparently that someone was Even.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Even was taller than most people and he knew how to use that to his advantage in situations like this. Once he arrived at the table, he put his hand firmly on Mads' shoulder, pressing down a little. "Hey, there, Mads! I see you've met my friend, how nice!" Even nodded towards the younger boy, but without really looking at him. Instead he kept his eyes on Mads. "Unfortunately, he's underage, so I'm gonna take him home right now. And if you ever see him again, you best leave him be, and don't buy him alcohol, you absolute douchebag!"</p>
<p>Mads eyed him for a second to consider how serious the trouble he was in was before he took his drink and left quietly. Even frowned after him and eventually turned around to the boy sitting – more like barely hanging on to his chair – in front of him. Even sighed lowly. "Who even let you in, baby boy?" Hooded green eyes met Even's, probably without even seeing him. Even extended a hand towards the boy. "Let's get you home, shall we?"</p>
<p>The boy took the offered hand willingly and let himself be hauled up, but then he shook his head. Apparently, Even's words only now had been processed. "No… Not home… I can't go home, please… Just – wherever, but not home. Okay?" The boy stumbled forward and straight into Even. He just stayed there – head against Even's chest, arms uselessly hanging down his sides. "Please, yeah? You're nice… right? You made that dude go away, so you're nice… Don't make me go home."</p>
<p>"Well, you can't stay here…" Even pushed him away a little, trying to keep him upright with both of his hands now. He looked the boy up and down and sighed once more. "Let's get you outside. Maybe a bit of fresh air and a bottle of water will help."</p>
<p>Several minutes later, they were standing outside the bar and Even had forced almost half a liter of water down the boy's throat. He was leaning against the wall, Even securing him with one hand. His eyes looked a little clearer now and Even tried to get a conversation going to find out how to get him home. "That's better, isn't it, baby boy? What's your name, actually? I'm Even."</p>
<p>"Even… Hmm, I'm Isak," the boy – Isak – slurred. He looked up at Even, apparently aiming to smile at him but failing miserably. "Thanks for saving me in there… I'll best get going now. Thanks, yeah…"</p>
<p>Even gently pressed him back against the wall, shaking his head, "No, I won't let you go anywhere like this. Not on your own, at least. You can barely keep yourself up… Where do you live, Isak?"</p>
<p>Isak frowned at him, probably trying to figure out how to avoid telling Even where he lived, so that he wouldn't take him home. Yeah, facing your parents when coming home drunk in the middle of the night sucked, Even knew that all too well, but… Usually, when he felt that awful, he still preferred that over not getting into his bed. So maybe there was more hidden behind Isak's reluctance? Before Even could probe further, Isak was saved by Even's phone ringing and vibrating in the back pocket of Even's jeans.</p>
<p>"Lucky you… but you're gonna stay right here, understood?" He eyed Isak intensely, before taking the call. It was Mikael, one of the friends waiting for him in the bar.</p>
<p>"Why did you leave? Didn’t you see us?" Mikael asked without a greeting. "We are in the far back… Come back, man."</p>
<p>Even sighed heavily. "Sorry, I can't… I had to rescue some poor soul from Mads' awful advances. And now I'm outside with him to take him home because he’s drunk." There was a moment's pause on the other end of the line, then Mikael spoke again.</p>
<p>"Why do you have to…? He's not your responsibility, Even! You saved him from Mads, that's cool… But now come back in here and have some fun with us. There's a cute guy at the table next to us who's like, totally your type…"</p>
<p>"I don't have a type. And yeah, he kinda is my responsibility," Even sighed. He watched Isak closely, shaking him by the shoulder when his eyes started to fall closed. "He's underage and drunk out of his mind…"</p>
<p>Even heard laughter in the background on Mikael's side and waited for him to reply. "Ah, sorry… Yes, okay, but doesn't he have like friends that should be looking after him? Why do you have to be the one?"</p>
<p>Even shrugged even though Mikael couldn't see him. "I don't know, Mik. He was out alone… Maybe he lost his friends or whatever… Maybe, I can come back when he's at home, alright? I'll let you know!"</p>
<p>After Mikael had mumbled "fine", Even hung up and redirected his focus on Isak. "Okay, baby boy, I'm gonna ask you one last time now. Where-" Before Even could finish his question, Isak was bending over and started to puke his guts out. "Well, I guess this is just my luck, huh?"</p>
<p>Once Isak was done, Even helped him into an upright position once again and opened the water bottle to offer Isak the rest of its contents to rinse out his mouth. "Thanks…" Isak's voice was hoarse and barely more than a whisper. He spat out some of the water before gulping down the rest. "I'm sorry about that… But I'm feeling better now, at least… So, I can just go home on my own. Thank you… really… Even, right?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I’m sure you would like that but it’s not gonna happen, Isak," Even groaned. This was getting a little annoying considering it was a Friday night and he was supposed to have fun with his friends. Instead he was stuck here with this stubborn teenager who was more than reluctant to go home. "But I’m not gonna let you go somewhere where it isn’t safe when I just got you out of the lions’ den. That would be very counterproductive, don’t you think, Isak? So, you’ll either have to tell me where you live, or we will have to stand here the whole night."</p>
<p>Isak looked like he was seriously considering staying out here in the cold with Even the whole night. Okay, it was May already, so maybe it wouldn’t get too cold. But there was no way Even would stand around here all night, he’d rather offer Isak to stay with him. Maybe that wasn’t even the worst idea? His mum was gone for the weekend - some well-deserved off-time with her best friend in some spa hotel - and maybe Isak would be more approachable in the morning?</p>
<p>Even sighed and looked Isak up and down again, before he eventually asked a question he maybe should’ve asked right in the beginning: "How old are you, baby boy?" Isak blushed down all to his neck, squirming under Even’s scrutinizing look.</p>
<p>"Uhm… I’m 18. Why do you ask?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, look, baby boy… if you really want me to not take you home, you better start telling me the truth, okay?" Even brushed some curls back behind Isak’s ear with a smile. "I don’t care that you went into a bar where you’re not supposed to be, Isak. All I’m trying to do here is keep you safe, you know? Because apparently that’s something no one else is doing for you, Isak… At least not tonight."</p>
<p>He could feel Isak shiver and he saw him biting his lip out of the corner of his eyes, too. Apparently Even had hit some kind of nerve with Isak and it made him feel almost guilty. That’s not what he had hoped to achieve with his statement, not at all.</p>
<p>Eventually, Isak regained control over himself and looked back at Even with sad green eyes.</p>
<p>"I’m 17, okay?" Even raised his eyebrows at him. "Oh, for fuck’s sake… Okay… I’ll turn 17 next month. Are you happy now?" Even shook his head.</p>
<p>"No, not really… but at least I’m glad you’re not lying to me anymore. So, listen… You can sleep on our sofa bed tonight if you really don’t want to, or cannot go home. But tomorrow I’m gonna take you home. Okay?"</p>
<p>Isak shrugged, a "whatever" on his lips. It actually made Even smile, even though he should probably be annoyed by that attitude. Because here he was, making sure that Isak was okay and safe and this boy was still a stubborn little shit. It probably would bug Even normally, but something about this boy prevented Even from finding him annoying. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, so instead he just tried to take it as a given for now.</p>
<p>"Well, if it's whatever to you, I can get you back inside and tell Mads that you really, really loved talking to him," Even rebutted with a sly smile.</p>
<p>Isak's eyes got all wide and he ferociously shook his head. "Please don't do that, Even… I'll sleep on the floor and I'll make breakfast in the morning, whatever you want. But please don't make me go back in there to that guy."</p>
<p>"Oh wow, he really left an impression, huh?" Even joked before he pushed himself off the wall. "I'm not cruel, though, baby boy. So come on, let's get going."</p>
<p>Even lit himself a cigarette before he started to walk in the direction of his home, assuming Isak would follow.</p>
<p>And he did - it was just that he was rather wobbly on his feet. He staggered behind Even, barely moving forwards.</p>
<p>"Oh jeez…" Even put the cigarette between his lips and walked backwards until he was level with Isak. He wrapped an arm around Isak's hip to keep him steady. "Guess we should take the tram, otherwise it'll take us the whole night."</p>
<p>Isak leaned onto him, snatching the cigarette from Even's lips while they zigzagged towards the closest tram stop.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>About 40 minutes later, Even unlocked the front door to his mum's and his flat, maneuvering Isak inside before kicking the door shut behind them. He leaned Isak, who seemed to be half asleep already, against the wall to take both their jackets off. Taking Isak's shoes off was a challenge, but eventually Even managed.</p>
<p>"Okay, let's grab some water and get you to bed. Or do you feel like showering? Or food? Do you want food?"</p>
<p>Isak shook his head. "No… I just… bed… so tired."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I thought so…" Even took Isak by the hand this time to walk him into the kitchen where he grabbed two glasses and a water bottle. Then he stopped to frown at Isak. "Wait, you should at least brush your teeth. Otherwise, it'll be the most disgusting feeling in the morning."</p>
<p>Even ignored the protests coming from Isak and dragged him towards the bathroom instead. He put a toothbrush and the toothpaste into Isak's hand before hurrying to his room.</p>
<p>Quickly he prepared the sofa under his loft bed, he poured some water in one of the glasses and put it down on the small table next to the sofa. When he was done, he moved to his drawer to get some boxer shorts and a shirt for Isak.</p>
<p>He brought both things to the bathroom where Isak was sitting on the toilet lid, barely awake and a toothpaste stain on his sweater.</p>
<p>"Time for bed, baby boy," Even grinned and moved around him to brush his own teeth, to wash his face and to strip down to his boxers. After, he helped Isak to change into the sleeping clothes he brought for him. "Now, there's a good boy. Let's get you to bed."</p>
<p>"Bed…" Isak repeated sleepily, letting Even steer him around like a puppet until he was lying on the sofa, all tucked in.</p>
<p>Even looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out what in God's name had happened to that poor boy, and, who could even be capable of being anything but nice to him. But there was no answer to any of his questions. He would have to ask Isak in the morning, but he probably wouldn't get an answer out of him either.</p>
<p>He sighed and stood up from the sofa edge, gingerly brushing a curl out of his face. "Good night, Isak."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hangover</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks a bunch to the handful of people who left kudos und to the two kind people who even left a comment. It's very much appreciated. &lt;333<br/>And, of course, once again, thank you to my beautiful, lovely <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggsntoast">Kris</a> for erasing my dumb mistakes and giving me courage. &lt;333</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Isak woke up, he felt awful. His head was pounding, his mouth felt dry and his back hurt. What the hell had he been up to last night?</p>
<p>Fuck!</p>
<p>It took him several minutes to open his eyes enough to realize that he wasn't in his own room. It wasn't Jonas's room either… so where the hell was he, and why was he here?</p>
<p>Isak almost spiraled into a panic attack as soon as he remembered the weird, disgusting guy talking him up in the bar. He hadn't gone home with that dude, had he? Shit, what if he had and what if he had been so out of it that he had let things happen, bad things?!</p>
<p>In a quick move, he jumped from the bed, almost getting caught up in the blanket that had covered him up to the nose.</p>
<p>It wasn't until he realized that he was wearing clothes that he started to calm down a little</p>
<p>"Shit," he mumbled to himself when he felt his head pounding again. Also, the room was spinning a little and Isak was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to do that right now. He closed his eyes but that made it even worse and Isak had to sit down on the bed again.</p>
<p>After a minute, at least the spinning had stopped enough for Isak to dare stand up again and tentatively pad over towards the door. He had to find out where he was somehow and trying to find the person who lived here was probably his safest bet.</p>
<p>As soon as Isak opened the door, his nose was filled with the smell of freshly brewed coffee. And there was… humming?! Yes, someone was definitely humming from the other end of the hallway.</p>
<p>Isak followed the sounds slowly, luring him into the flat’s kitchen.</p>
<p>There, a blonde man was standing in front of the stove, poking at something in a pan with a spatula while humming along to a pop song playing from the radio. He was also moving his lanky body in tune to the music; and generally seemed to be in a way too good mood for this time of the day.</p>
<p>It was only when the blonde guy turned around, spatula still in one hand, that Isak’s memories from last night came flooding back.</p>
<p>That guy - Even, was that his name? - had saved him from the perv and then had taken care of him while he puked his guts out. And then he had apparently taken him home and let him crash on his sofa bed. That was nice of him. Who did that kind of thing for a stranger? Unless they expected something in return?</p>
<p>Isak frowned at the guy to figure out if he was actually truly this nice, or if he was about to ask for something in return. And if he would, what kind of thing it would be?! Isak didn’t have any money and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to run fast enough in his current condition if it was something else. Maybe wanting to figure out where he was had been a bad idea and he should’ve just left and never think about all of this again instead.</p>
<p>"Do you want to eat something?" Isak snapped out of his thoughts to look at the blonde guy who was now busy shuffling scrambled eggs from the pan onto a plate. "Or do you not feel up to that yet? I have painkillers somewhere and I made coffee, too…"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I smelt that…" Isak’s voice sounded husky and exactly like you would expect it to sound after too many beers, two blunts and a lot of awfully sweet cocktails. "I think… I think I’ll go with coffee and painkillers for now. Thanks."</p>
<p>Even nodded and motioned for Isak to sit down before he poured coffee into two mugs. "Yes, sure… Did you sleep alright? The sofa can be a bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t think you’d have been able to climb the stairs to the loft bed. You barely managed the staircase…"</p>
<p>"Uhm… yeah, it was fine. Don’t worry about it." Isak flopped down on the chair Even had pulled out for him and let his head drop onto his arms. The strain of getting from the bed to the kitchen had made his headache worse.</p>
<p>He barely noticed the mug and a glass being placed in front of him but he made a noise that he hoped sounded like a <em>thank you</em>. Even placed a painkiller into Isak’s outstretched left hand. Again Isak grunted to thank Even. It made Even chuckle which in return made Isak smile a little against his arm. "Not in the mood for talking, huh?"</p>
<p>"Sorry…" Isak lifted his head a little to swallow down the painkiller with a gulp of water. He made grabby hands at the coffee mug Even had placed just out of his reach until it was placed in his hand. "I don't want to be rude… I just feel like shit. But… uhm, like, thank you for last night. I appreciate it."</p>
<p>Even smiled at him before gulping down his coffee. "No worries, man… I mean, I couldn't leave you there with Mads. That would've been just cruel. Promise me you will never talk to him again, though."</p>
<p>"Ugh… promise." Isak grimaced before sitting up straight to take a sip of his coffee. Little memory fragments of his conversation with the creep came back to him, and they weren't very pleasurable. "To be honest, I hope I'll never see that guy again in my life. What a creeper… I was really lucky that you chipped in. I don't think I would've been able to defend myself if he did anything weird…"</p>
<p>"Ah, well… I think you throwing up all over him would have done it," Even laughed.</p>
<p>Isak rolled his eyes at him and regretted it immediately as his head started to act up again. He tried to cover it up by drinking some more coffee. "I guess… oh God, I hope I didn't throw up on you?" Isak blushed all down to his neck. "If so, I'm so sorry… that was absolutely not the plan. I can pay for cleaning your clothes or… well, I can't really, but… I don't know, I can wash it for you."</p>
<p>"Isak, relax. You didn't throw up on me." Even patted Isak on the shoulder in order to get him to calm down. "I think, you might have gotten some on your shoes, but otherwise you're good."</p>
<p>"Alright, cool." Isak was still mostly blushed but he wasn't sure if it was solely embarrassment anymore. But he couldn't pinpoint it, so he reached for his coffee instead, gulping it down quickly to divert from his blush.</p>
<p>When he put his mug down again, he looked up at Even who was contently munching away on his scrambled eggs. Isak couldn't really stop looking at him, his eyes darting from those long fingers to his plushy lips. And what the fuck was he even thinking here?</p>
<p>Isak cleared his throat to get Even's attention and to get rid of the lump in his throat. "Do you mind- Can I maybe use your shower?"</p>
<p>"Yes, of course!" Even was already getting up and putting his plate away in the dishwasher. "Right now or do you want another cup of coffee first?"</p>
<p>"Right now is good. Maybe I can have more coffee after. I mean… sorry, I should probably be going after."</p>
<p>But Even shook his head violently. "You don't have to go, Isak. Take your shower and I'll make more coffee in the meantime, okay? We can maybe talk a bit about yesterday once you're fresh and the painkillers have kicked in… The bathroom is the first door on the left. I'll get you some fresh clothes and a towel."</p>
<p>"Uhm, okay…" Isak disappeared into the bathroom as quickly as his throbbing head and his vertigo allowed him to.</p>
<p>Even brought him fresh clothes and a towel before Isak had even managed to undress. He thanked the older boy and then locked the door behind him before leaning against it. Isak took a deep breath or two or three in order to calm down. He had no idea what was going on right now… was this his hangover that got him so worked up?! Okay, whatever… It was time to wash all of that away with a cold shower. And hopefully with it, all thoughts of why he had ended up drunk out of his mind in that bar in the first place.</p>
<p>He would be reminded the minute he stepped back into his home - but his plan was to put that off for as long as possible. Maybe he could crash at Jonas's tonight to get even more time away from home.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>When Isak came back into the kitchen, Even was casually leaning against the kitchen counter. He grinned at Isak while pouring two new cups of coffee. "Let's go to the living room, it's nicer to sit there," he said and handed Isak one of the mugs.</p>
<p>Isak took the mug and followed Even into the adjoining living room where Even immediately settled on the sofa. Isak hesitated before sitting down, as well. He didn't know a thing about Even expect his first name and it should probably feel way more unsettling to sit on a stranger's sofa than it did. It was just something about Even that made Isak feel safe and… understood. And maybe it was reckless of him to trust him just like that, but there was nothing he could do about it really; he just did and he didn't know how not to.</p>
<p>"So, Isak…" Even eventually broke the silence between them after they had quietly sipped their coffees for at least two minutes. "Care to tell me why you ended up in that bar completely wasted?"</p>
<p>Okay, that was straight to the point, and Isak hadn't expected that at all, but nevertheless his reply was instant. "There were some issues at home and I just had to get out of there and forget about all of that for a while. It's complicated with my mum and my dad thought that now of all times would be a good time to move out. He's an asshole and I'm pretty sure he has an affair with some other woman and… shit, I'm oversharing, right?"</p>
<p>"You're fine, Isak… I asked about it. But it's okay if you don't want to talk about it, okay?" Even gifted him with another smile that made Isak relax again right away.</p>
<p>"I don't know what more to say, actually… I'm just so fed up with him and his bullshit. He's never there and still he claims to know it all. He thinks he can be the one to make all the decisions when he doesn't even know how the situation is and how mum… No, sorry, I'm doing it again and I don't even want to talk about my mum and all that… Sorry. Anyway, I hope I wasn't too embarrassing, or pathetic, or something."</p>
<p>Even held up his hand, shaking his head. "Isak, stop! You weren't pathetic at all, okay? We've all been wasted before, it happens. I just wanted to get you away from Mads in your condition because God knows what could've happened to you there… but then, when I asked for your address to get you home, you refused. That was a bit concerning to me, so, I brought you here instead to make sure you'd be okay and not end up on the street somewhere. And okay - you throwing up wasn't nice, but it happens to the best of us. So, please, stop worrying about all of that, Isak. Can I ask you though… why weren't you with any friends that could've kept an eye on you? You should never go drinking without someone to get you home, Isak, has no one told you that?"</p>
<p>"Jeez, no… I'm not a little girl!"</p>
<p>"Yeah, but that really doesn't matter when you're drunk, does it?" Even frowned at him, almost as if he was a little irritated. "Also, a cute young guy in a gay bar is the equivalent of a hot girl in another club, so really… you kind of are."</p>
<p>Isak blushed all over - he had hoped, prayed, that the topic of what kind of a bar he had walked into wouldn't come up in their conversation. But here they were, only starting to really talk about it all, and they had already mentioned it. "I didn't… I wasn't aware that… I mean, it's not like they have a sign on their door - and even if they had, I was too drunk to notice…" - oh, the lies! - "I really didn't know it was that kind of a bar, okay?"</p>
<p>"Yes, okay. It's fine, don't worry," Even replied calmly, still smiling at Isak, even though it didn't look quite as honest and bright anymore.</p>
<p>By now, Isak didn't feel quite as safe and understood anymore. Plus, he started to panic because they were edging around that part inside of him that he had locked away in the far back of his mind. "Yeah, what were you doing there, anyway?"</p>
<p>"Me?" Isak nodded, his eyebrows furrowed because now he was actually wondering about it. Why had Even been in that gay bar? "Well, I was planning on having a nice evening with some friends but then I had to take care of you."</p>
<p>"Oh, okay… I see. That's cool of you, going to that bar with your gay friends and all," Isak replied.</p>
<p>Even raised both his eyebrows and then laughed lowely. "Is that what you think, Isak? Maybe my straight friends were there with me?!"</p>
<p>Isak gaped at him for a second. "What? You are not… You don't look gay at all."</p>
<p>"And how do gay people look, Isak?" Even sounded calm and looked unbothered but Isak wasn't sure if he actually was. He felt like he was walking into something he wouldn't be able to get out of.</p>
<p>But he couldn't stop his mouth from moving. "You know… like wearing tights and mascara and going to gay pride and stuff… I mean, being gay isn't a bad thing, I just meant that you don't look like that and all… Sorry, I'm just… forget I said anything."</p>
<p>It was really quiet for a moment or two and Isak was silently hoping for the ground to swallow him up whole. He had clearly overstepped and had destroyed this nice connection he had with Even.</p>
<p>"Okay, Isak… I know that it's easy to think in cliches and boxes, but… that's really not how being gay works, you know? Of course, there are gay people who like to wear tights and mascara… but that's not because they're gay, Isak. It's because they like it and they're just being themselves. And you know, these people actually went out and fought for their right to be themselves. They had to, and probably still do, face discrimination and hate, some of them have been beaten up and even killed. And they don't do that because they like to be different, but because they'd rather die than to pretend to be something they're not. I think that takes a lot of courage and I think that no one has the right to judge people for what they like to wear."</p>
<p>Isak gulped and nodded, a blush already spreading across his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude at all… it's just that that's what I've always… I'm sorry." He put down his mug and got up from the sofa. "I should just go… sorry for being an idiot and thank you again."</p>
<p>"You don't have to go, Isak." Even got up as well. "But it's fine if you want to, of course… Maybe you want to think about what I said, too…"</p>
<p>If possible, Isak blushed even more, but he managed to nod. "Yeah, I guess I should do that. Well, I… bye, I guess?"</p>
<p>They walked to the front door in silence where Isak put on his shoes - they didn't have any puke on them, thank god. When he was done, he looked up at Even. Isak bit his lip, trying to think of something to say in order to lift the tension. He didn't want to leave Even like this - if he was really honest with himself, he didn't want to leave him at all.</p>
<p>"Hey, gimme your phone," Even suddenly said. Isak frowned while already producing his phone from his back pocket and handing it to Even before he could even think about it.</p>
<p>Even typed something and then gave the phone back to Isak. "Now, instead of getting drunk by yourself, you can text me when things get too much, okay? You also know where I live, so… if it's before midnight, you can just come over if you don't want to go home. If it's after midnight, call me before, so you won't wake up my mum."</p>
<p>Isak stared at his phone in disbelief. He didn't know what to say or do. "Uhm… yeah. Bye, Even."</p>
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